SAN DIEGO — US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth visited the USS Abraham Lincoln on Wednesday, October 7, 2026, to award the Presidential Unit Citation to the crew of the carrier and its strike group. The USS Abraham Lincoln is scheduled to dock in San Diego on Thursday, October 8, 2026.

The citation recognized the strike group for "40 days of combat operations and an ironclad maritime blockade against Iran in support of Operation Epic Fury." President Donald Trump presented a citation to the Lincoln crew for their achievements during the Iran war.

He stated the Lincoln strike group sank 64 Iranian warships, destroyed 21 anti-ship cruise missiles, executed 3,693 combat sorties, launched 450 Tomahawk land attack cruise missiles, and fired 1.37 million pounds of ordnance against Iran. He said the Lincoln strike group shot down 77 one-way attack drones and defended against four fast attack craft and explosive-carrying ships. He said the Lincoln strike group suffered no casualties and had no aircraft mishaps.

"What makes the US military and the US Navy and all these sailors different is that you adapt and that you're resilient and you overcome - you finish the mission nonetheless," he said. He added, "Yes, it's hard. That's why you're here. You do difficult and hard things." He told the crew, "You have changed the arc of history."

He acknowledged there wasn't an easy resupply during the deployment. He joked that he was "the only thing standing between you and home" and that he was the one who signed the orders repeatedly extending the deployment. "You deserve to see your families and see them as soon as possible," he said. He accused reporters of trying to turn the crew of the Lincoln strike group into symbols of dysfunction or of a failed mission instead of heroes.

The USS Abraham Lincoln left San Diego in November 2025 and arrived in the Middle East in January 2026. The USS Abraham Lincoln deployment was extended after the US-Iran war began in February 2026. The vessel remained at sea for an extended period, with records indicating the deployment included more than 260 continuous days without a port call. Other accounts state the USS Abraham Lincoln deployment lasted 265 uninterrupted days at sea, while US Navy records show the ship was at sea without a port call for 286 days until docking in Thailand in early September 2026.

The USS George Washington aircraft carrier relieved the Lincoln in the Middle East in August 2026. During the deployment, a sailor assigned to the air wing on the USS Abraham Lincoln went overboard in early August 2026 and was rescued. The USS Theodore Roosevelt was dispatched to the Middle East in October 2026. The US-Iran war has a $3 billion monthly price tag.

Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao acknowledged in a letter to Senator Kirsten Gillibrand that eight service members from the Lincoln and its strike group attempted suicide during the deployment. No deaths on the USS Abraham Lincoln have been attributed to suicide. The USS Abraham Lincoln has roughly 5,000 sailors and marines onboard, though other rosters list about 7,500 personnel.

Senator Kirsten Gillibrand criticized Hegseth, stating that "our service members deserve better than a photo-op. They deserve real accountability for this administration’s failures." Adm Brad Cooper, head of US Central Command, described the Lincoln's deployment as "one of the most operationally intense and consequential of the modern era."